UNV Associate Human Rights Officer Indigenous Peoples in Mexico

UN VOLUNTEER DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT MEXR000061--Associate Human Rights Officer/ Indigenous Peoples The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long- established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive.

General Information

Country of Assignment Mexico

Host Institute UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Volunteer Category International Specialist

Number of Volunteer 1

Duration 12 months

workbench.possibility_of_extension Yes

Expected Starting Date 01-01-2018

Duty Station Mexico City [MEX]

Assignment Place Family Duty Station

Assignment Place Remark

Assignment with family

Living Conditions

Current Security situation in Mexico is considered as stable, nevertheless common crime activities as robbery, theft, "Express kidnap" among others , represent a serious threat to any citizen living in Mexico, There is no direct threat to UN Staff or other International organization, UNDSS security system consider Mexico in Level 2, movement within Mexico DF could be done without restrictions however staff must adopt basic precautions, any movement outside from Mexico DF must be cleared by UNDSS system in place.

In relation to drug-related violence, the greatest increase in hostility has taken place in the northern states, mainly in Chihuahua, Tamaulipas, Baja California, and Sinaloa; however, all staff members throughout Mexico should exercise caution and be aware of their surroundings.

Assignment Details

20 Oct 2017 Page 1 of 5 Assignment Title Associate Human Rights Officer/ Indigenous Peoples Organizational Context & Project Description

OHCHR’s office in Mexico works to ensure that institutions, Government authorities, and the United Nations Country Team have

adequate information, understanding, and skills to identify human rights concerns and to develop measures to address them

effectively.

Main activities are focus on assessment and monitoring of human rights situation throughout the country, with emphasis on the four

priority areas determined by OHCHR Mexico: disappearances, torture, human rights defenders and indigenous peoples. The overall

objective of the Office is to strengthen national and local governmental and civil society organizations in order to help bridge gaps in

human rights implementation (knowledge, capacity, commitment and security) at the national and state level. OHCHR-Mexico is

divided into four thematic clusters: Grave Violations, Democratic Space, Gender and ESCR and Groups in Focus. . The UNV would

be part of the Groups in Focus Cluster and would be deployed in the Task Force on Indigenous People’s rights.

Sustainable Development Goals 10. Reduced Inequalities

UNV Focus Area Securing access to basic social services

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Coordinator of the Groups in Focus Cluster, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Research and collect information pertaining to human rights issues through monitoring human rights situations at the field

level and from a variety of data sources (e.g. publications and the press) to keep abreast of issues/events and provide up-to-

date information;

Establish working relationships with state and federal authorities and provide them with technical assistance, to strengthen the

level of compliance with international human rights obligations;

Document cases of indigenous people’s human rights violations;

As a part of the Good Offices mandate of OHCHR-Mexico, act as an observer, mediator and/or facilitator in prior consultation

processes organized by the federal government, providing detailed advice to the authorities about the implementation of their

international obligations and strengthen the rights holders’ knowledge about their rights;

Dialogue with private companies and businesses related to their projects which might affect the rights of indigenous peoples

and their adherence to the UN guiding principles on business and human rights;

Assist in the analysis of information regarding substantive matters in the field of human rights and recommend actions to be

taken;

Draft a variety of reports and correspondence relating to human rights matters/cases;

Participate in human rights training programmes for government officials, representatives of the civil society, human rights

non-governmental organizations and rights holders;

Liaise with representatives of the federal and local legislative powers to ensure that the legislation affecting indigenous

peoples and communities is in line with international standards and is created with the right perspective and methodology;

Work with UN and non-governmental partners in the country to integrate human rights, including gender considerations, in

their programmes;

in the consolidation of knowledge and necessary tools within the United Nations system in Mexico in order to mainstream

human rights in its actions; < > in establishing working level cooperation with relevant government ministries and State

institutions to assist in strengthening their capacity for protection and promotion of human rights;

Receive complaints of alleged human rights violations and give legal advice to victims;

Perform other tasks as required.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:- Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerismby

20 Oct 2017 Page 2 of 5 reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNVactivities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day)- Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms ofvolunteerism in the host country- Reflect on the type

and quality of voluntary action that they areundertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities- Contribute

articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNVpublications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.- Assist with

the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers- Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering,

orencourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV OnlineVolunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/Expected Outputs

Provision of monitoring and analysis of human rights situation and individual cases of human rights violations.

Enhanced expertise in the thematic areas that will be worked on, especially the rights of indigenous peoples and business and

human rights.

Established relationship with local and federal authorities and initiated changes in local legal framework.

Ability to carry out human rights training workshops.

A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the

number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

• The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including

supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counter-parts, including Implementing Partners (IPs); • Age, Gender and Diversity

(AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final

statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development dur-ing the assignment, such as reporting on the

number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

Qualifications/Requirements

Required Degree Level Master degree or equivalent

Education - Additional Comments

Advanced degree in law (Masters or equivalent), international relations, social/political science or a related field, preferably

with a specialization in human rights. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and

experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Years of Required Work Experience 24 months

Experience Description

Work experience: Minimum 2 years of work experience in the protection/promotion of human rights and related areas. Field

experience and knowledge of the Latin American Region and indigenous people’s rights is an asset.

Language Skills

ENG (Mandatory) , Level - Working Knowledge

AND - SPA (Mandatory) , Level - Fluent

DoA Expertise

Human rights Mandatory

Additional Requirements for Area of Expertise

Other skills: Computer skills

UN competencies: Professionalism - Good knowledge of and exposure to a range of human rights issues, to include

20 Oct 2017 Page 3 of 5 approaches and techniques to address sensitive problems. Good knowledge of and exposure to institutional mandates, policies and guidelines relating to thematic procedures on Human Rights. Good analytical and research skills, sound

judgement and negotiating skills. Good knowledge of the international human rights standards and their practical

implementation. Communication - Strong communication (spoken, written and presentational) skills, including the ability to

produce a variety of written reports in a clear, concise style, to deliver presentations to external audiences, to build/maintain

effective partnerships; Planning and Organising - Ability to establish priorities and to plan work assignments, juggle competing

demands and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines; Technical Awareness - Good computer skills, including

proficiency in word processing, spreadsheets and other relevant software packages; Cultural awareness – Ability to work with

and communicate adequately and in a culturally adequate way with people from different socio-economic, cultural and ethnic

backgrounds.

OHCHR strongly encourages Women and Indigenous Peoples to apply

Need Driving Licence No

Competencies & Values

Communication

Planning and Organizing

Respect for Diversity

Technological Awareness

Conditions of Service and other information

Condition of Service Click here to view Conditions of Service

Conditions of Service for International Specialist:

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and

satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) which is composed of the Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family

Allowance (FA) for those with dependents (maximum three).

The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and

other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$ 1,587. The

VLA base rate is a global rate across the world, while the PAM is duty station/country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis

according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty

stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is

published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org.

For example, kindly enter the link Calculator

In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a

Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis.

20 Oct 2017 Page 4 of 5 Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty

station.

UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security

framework (including residential security reimbursements).

UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels, flight tickets for periodic home visit and for the final

repatriation travel (if applicable). Resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment.

UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful

candidate.

Application Code MEXR000061-2316

Application procedure

* Not yet registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

Please first register your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/signup. Important: After creating your account,

complete all sections of your profile and submit it. Then go to ‘My Page’ at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and

click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink. Lastly, select the special call to which you would like to apply.

* Already registered in the UNV Talent Pool?

Please first update your profile at https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/profile. Then go to ‘My Page’ at

https://vmam.unv.org/candidate/mypage and click on the ‘Special Calls’ hyperlink to select the special call to which you

would like to apply.

Application deadline: 5th November 2017.

Disclaimer

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We

arecommitted to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.

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